Flight-based Xbox titles aren’t what you’d call ten-a-penny, with only a very few mediocre budget releases being available to satisfy would-be pilots who are more at home with a console controller in their hand than a flight yoke. Now though, those who have seen more vertigo than U2 can fire up some World War II action, and battle to reign supreme in the air over the Japanese ‘ starting with a little light training, before moving on – as you probably could have guessed, to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.
Heroes of the Pacific could be described as two very different games. Whenever you begin to taxi onto the runway and start a mission, you’re given the option of ‘Professional’ or ‘Arcade’ controls. Starting out, I ‘ in my infinite wisdom ‘ thought that I was more than tough enough to play in professional mode. How wrong could I be’ The controls in this mode are incredibly sensitive, to the point of being too sensitive to ever really feel like you’re in control of your bird. This is probably a matter of preference, but after flying a stack of missions time and time again because the professional control system punished me hard after actually expecting me to be able to fly a World War II plane like Robert S. Johnson, I prefer the arcade controls.
If I was reviewing a game that had just the professional option, it wouldn’t get a great score. What Codemasters have done, is realise that some people ‘ like me ‘ will prefer the more forgiving type of control system, whilst others will want to be punished if they raise the nose too sharply and stall the engine. Its horses for courses, as they say, and the development team are to be applauded for giving us the choice.
The main thing that will strike you about Heroes of the Pacific is the sublime presentation. Every menu, option screen and introductory sequence has been laid out in an authentic World War II style, and really has to be seen to be believed. Very smart, very easy to use and incredibly easy on the eye, the entire package looks like a great deal of care and attention has gone into it. Cue more applause.
The obligatory Xbox Live modes are there to provide some longevity once you’ve completed the twenty five or so missions on offer and dogfighting online can provide some top-drawer fun. Historical missions can also be unlocked should you play well enough for long enough, as can new types of aircraft.
But ‘ there’s always a ‘but’ ‘ there are problems. The pleasing plumes of smoke, low-level cloud cover and other particle effects all come at a cost, and that cost in this case is our old enemy, slowdown. When flying towards the Japanese onslaught to relieve your tired and fuel-light comrades in the second mission, the first bout of slowdown becomes apparent as you fly through the clouds towards your target. The whole game judders and grinds as if the Xbox just can’t handle it, and after that first incident, it becomes an all too regular occurrence.
Thankfully though, the constant stream of missions and the sometimes unfairly high level of performance that is required in order for you to progress through the various stages of the war mean that the game isn’t spoiled. There’s just too much to worry about to be whining about that bit of slowdown that cause you to miss the Japanese ‘Betty Bomber’ earlier on. However, just because there is a whole bunch to do, doesn’t mean that a feeling of repetition doesn’t set in more quickly than it should. The varying types of available attack vehicles alleviate this somewhat, as does the accurate and gripping presentation between each mission, but your mind still begins to wander as you’re told to kill wave after wave of fighter, whether they be in the air or in the water.
But something will keep you coming back to the game for a quick blast every now and then. Some games can do that, and Heroes of the Pacific is one of them.
